Concentration in Political Science, A.A.

Major Code: (3420)

Associate of Arts Learning Outcomes

The successful student will:

• Differentiate between a democracy and an autocracy. They will be able to define democracy, to determine whether any given political system is a democracy or an autocracy, and to demonstrate what characteristics, structures, and functions indicate that it is a democracy or an autocracy.
• Define constitution and differentiate between a true constitution and a document, which is merely a listing of governmental structures. They will be able to distinguish between a constitutional democracy and a basic democracy.
• Compare and contrast the political systems of sovereign states, both democratic and autocratic.
• Have a working knowledge of international relations and of the main schools of thought in international relations and foreign policy. They will understand the principle of sovereignty and the concept of political power.
• Analyze a court case, a legislative act, or an executive decision whether it is the actual decision or a scholarly article discussing the case, the act or the decision